Check Your Heart

Humility....it's a funny word that immediately brings to mind its antonym...pride.  Humility and meekness seem to evoke pictures of a quiet, go with the flow, never stepping on anyone's toes kind of Christian.  Someone who never speaks up for themselves or voices their own opinion. And pride would be someone who thinks they always know best and have no problem speaking loudly and sending out all their opinions.  I'm not sure either of those pictures is entirely accurate.  The Holy Spirit seems to be prompting me to re-examine some misconceptions I have picked up along the way as I have walked this Earth as a follower of Jesus for almost three decades now.  I think Christian culture can sometimes be pretty far off from what the Bible actually says and so it was during my Bible study this last week I came to some chapters in Matthew that helped focus my view on what true humility looks like straight from the mouth of Jesus.

Matthew 18

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, 3 and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me;6 but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. 

The disciples always seem to be pretty concerned with who had top billing in the Kingdom...ironically missing the point that the kingdom wasn't about them at all.  Children are the example Jesus gives as role models of true humility; allow Him to lead and set the plan while we follow along holding His hands.  We are not in charge and we do not know best. Jesus knows best and He is always better.  Jesus came to save those who were lost, is not willing that any should perish, and came down from Heaven itself not believing that equality with God was something to be grasped, but instead humbled himself being obedient even to death. 

Following these first verses in Chapter 18, Jesus warns the disciples not be stumbling blocks by urging them that it would be better to cut off their hand or pluck out their eye than to be the reason a believer stumbles.  He tells them of the reckless love of the Father who would leave the ninety-nine and go and find the one who had wandered off and rejoice at their return.  And Jesus tells the disciples how to handle conflict when a brother/sister sins or offends you.  After all that, Peter speaks up...don't you just love Peter? He's always saying what everyone else is thinking. :) He has to have been listening to all these teachings and thinking, "Okay, Jesus, I hear you, but when is enough just enough?!" 

21Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus *said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

23 “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. 24 When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. 25 But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. 26 So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.’ 27 And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’ 30 But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed. 31 So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. 32 Then summoning him, his lord *said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’ 34 And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. 35 My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”

The king is Jesus and the slaves are all of us. The slave who refuses to forgive, to extend the same grace granted of him, is the epitome of pride in this example.  Believing themselves to be owed what was rightfully theirs, blinded their eyes to the mercy the king had bestowed upon them.  For if the slave had truly understood how much they had been forgiven, they could not help but grant forgiveness and mercy to others.  It really is that simple...so simple a child could understand it.  When we comprehend the grace that has been shown us, humility is a natural by product of this knowledge from the Holy Spirit.  One of my favorite comedians, John Crist, has the catchphrase "Check your heart!" He says it tongue in cheek about things like Chickfila nuggets versus strips, but as I read Jesus' words I felt the urging to check my own heart.  Do I speak as a daughter of the King who understands how much she has been forgiven?  Do I understand my place in the Kingdom was granted to me upon my adoption? That I have been saved out of that pit of sin and misery? Humility and pride are not personality traits exhibited by introverts and extroverts.  You can be loud and humble or you can be quiet and full to the brim with pride. Humility is a natural outflowing of a heart that is in tune with the Spirit. When in doubt....#checkyourheart. 

--Gabrielle Haston